After four years of preparation (2000-2004) and thanks to the generous
support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the 'Giza Archives
Project' Web site went live in January 2005. It is located at
http://www.gizapyramids.org
This evolving resource will serve as a centralized online repository for
all archaeological activity at the Giza Necropolis, beginning with the
Harvard University - Boston Museum of Fine Arts excavations
(1902 - 1947).
Recent updates and additions (May 2005) to the Web site include the
following materials:
--2,641 individual Giza tomb records;
--22,757 original HU-MFA black-and-white excavation photos;
--21,048 records of finds
--3,105 original HU-MFA Expedition Diary pages;
--1,977 ancient & modern people records;
--9,905 plans & drawings, from overview plans to individual burial
shafts;
--over 200 free downloadable Giza books and articles in text-searchable
PDF format.
Users can search in several ways:
--by any keyword ('Quick Search),'
--by specific categories ('Advanced Search'),
or
--by browsing Giza photographically ('Visual Search').
The Visual Search page contains a zoomable aerial photo of the entire
Giza Necropolis, with tombs shown as clickable rollover buttons that
link to the relevant photos, diaries, drawings and finds for the tomb
clicked. The Visual Search page also contains at present 657 color
panoramas (QTVR files) from standpoints all over Giza, allowing the
user to view the surroundings in 360 degrees.
Thousands of additional documents, old and new, are in preparation,
along with efforts to incorporate Giza materials from other institutions
and excavations. We welcome your comments, reactions, and suggestions
at http://www.gizapyramids.org/code/emuseum.asp?newpage=contact
Seems like a great resource. The Library is an especially good use of the Web. There are a lot of out of print works here with no need of a university library membership for access. Readers should definitely send suggestions in for new volumes and papers.
SEX! SEX at ArchaeoBlog! A Critic Takes On the Logic of Female Orgasm
Evolutionary scientists have never had difficulty explaining the male orgasm, closely tied as it is to reproduction.
But the Darwinian logic behind the female orgasm has remained elusive. Women can have sexual intercourse and even become pregnant - doing their part for the perpetuation of the species - without experiencing orgasm. So what is its evolutionary purpose?
. . .
Dr. Lloyd said scientists had insisted on finding an evolutionary function for female orgasm in humans either because they were invested in believing that women's sexuality must exactly parallel that of men or because they were convinced that all traits had to be "adaptations," that is, serve an evolutionary function.
We've always been partial to the explanation that this phenomenon is at least partially due to the similarity in development. But, of course, that only explains the How, not the Why. And then there's the whole 'current utility doesn't necessarily explain past utility' argument. This is probably an excellent example to illustrate the complexities of evolutionary explanation though, since it brings a whole range of factors from embryonic development, adaptation, selection, cultural pressures, etc.
And, you know, it's kinda tittilating.
Tombs! Tombs uncovered at Peruvian ruins
Archaeologists have uncovered a multi-level grave site at Peru's ancient ruins of Pachacamac, including mummy bundles containing whole families.
There were also bodies of pilgrims who presumably sought cures from an oracle deity for diseases like syphilis, tuberculosis and cancer, the project's leader said.
"What is interesting in this cemetery is that it is totally intact, and we have mummies of different epochs, different periods, and they have their burial goods with them," archaeologist Peter Eeckhout, of the Free University of Brussels, told The Associated Press.
Archaeologists Unearth Britain's Own Miniature Coliseum
Archaeologists have discovered evidence of Britain’s own miniature Coliseum, it was revealed today.
The two-tier stone built structure, in Chester, which dates back to 100AD, hosted gladiatorial contests, floggings and public executions.
Experts say the amphitheatre is the only one of its kind in Britain and the new evidence proves that Chester must have been an important site within the Roman Empire.
Did the Vikings drive natives from the isles?
VIKING settlers may have "ethnically cleansed" Scotland's islands, waging a genocidal campaign against native Pictish tribes as they arrived, according to evidence uncovered by archaeologists.
Excavations on Orkney could finally settle a centuries-old historical debate over whether the Norsemen integrated with indigenous locals or slaughtered them at the dawn of the last millennium.
Well, you know, there is that whole "crush your enemies, drive them before you, and hear the lamentations of their women" schtick they had going.
That's one way to put it Thracian Owner of Gold Mask Axe-Chopped
The Thracian king Seutus III, whose gold mask was unearthed in 2004 by Bulgarian archaeologists, has been chopped with an axe after his death, an expert research showed.
According to archaeologists this discovery is pure sensation because it proves the theory that ancient Thracians used to chop into pieces their rulers' bodies and buried them in different places.
Fight! Fight! Archaeology chief blamed for Harappa mess:-
The head of Pakistan's archaeology department has been blamed for a controversial amusement park being established adjacent to the ruins of the 5,000-year-old Harappa civilisation, work on which has been halted after a public outcry.
Holding Director General Archaeology Fazal Dad Kakar responsible for issuing a no objection certificate for the park, Culture Minister Ajmal Khan has warned that anyone "misguiding" the ministry on the issue would be punished, The News reported Monday.